Hertfordshire County Council has appointed a new contractor, AmeyCespa, to run the household waste recycling centres in the county.

There is an initiative to achieve savings of £750,000 per year while still reducing waste, improving rates of re-use and recycling and maintaining a reliable service for residents.

The key suggested changes, which could save at least £6 million over the next eight years, are:

Permanently closing the centres at Hoddesdon and Elstree. This would reduce the number of centres from 17 to 15

Changing the remaining 15 sites from a seven day a week service to a five day a week service, with weekday closures (except the small site at Buntingford)

Changing opening times, with all sites opening from 8am to 4pm all year (except the small site at Buntingford)

Hertfordshire County Council is keen to hear from a wide range of service users and other interested stakeholders. People can find out more and have their say by visiting www.hertsdirect.org/wastechanges and completing the online questionnaire.